Protection and Trust
by MissFaerieKaiti
Summary: "Don't ever cry alone again. ...I don't care who it is; just find someone." Kaida wanted to protect the weak. Shikamaru wanted to comfort them. Kinda Shikamaru/OC, but also kinda no pairings; OneShot; Read and Review!


**Okies, another Shikamaru/Kaida fic - yayz! 8D Haha, this one is short, random, and more or less pointless, but hopefully sweet. xP**

**This story takes place while they're still kids learning in the Academy. Academy students start at about age nine, right? So Shikamaru and Kaida are about nine or ten, maaaaaybe eleven - but probably just around ten. ;D**

**Kaida: Kaiti does not own the manga, anime, or person called Naruto in any way. The only thing she owns is me.**

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><p>Shikamaru was taking a walk in the woods, on his way to a clearing he liked to be in while he watched passing clouds, when the sound of someone sniffling caught his attention.<p>

He resolved not to get dragged into whatever was going on, since it was sure to be troublesome; but he decided to find out who was crying, at least.

What he saw surprised him. The girl sobbing on the forest floor, leaning back against a tree, was one of his two best friends – Kaida Yukiten. Forgetting his resolve, he began to head towards her. A twig snapped under his foot.

Kaida jumped up in surprise and defiance, quickly wiping the tears from her face. However, when she saw that it was just Shikamaru, she relaxed – meaning, she looked ready to cry again.

"Shikamaru," she said softly, her voice quavering. She sat back down, her shoulders slumped. She looked terrible, and not just because she'd been crying. She looked seriously scratched up, bleeding mostly on one of her elbows, and Shikamaru noted bruises forming, too. He walked over to her and sat down beside her.

And he was surprised a second time. Before Shikamaru could even ask what was wrong, she leaned into him and started shaking, like she might burst into tears all over again. He hesitated, then placed his arms around her and rubbed her back like he'd seen his dad do to his mom once before.

When she seemed more or less back in control, he asked, "Who did this to you?"

She tipped her head back and looked up at him in surprise, though he didn't know why.

Then she shook her head wordlessly and pointed. Shikamaru glanced in the direction her finger was pointing and noticed two beat-up stems of what had probably once been flowers. A couple torn or crushed petals lay limply nearby.

"They were picking on the flowers, treating them like bad guys," Kaida said, an angry edge in her voice this time. "The flowers couldn't do anything to protect themselves, so I had to. So what if there was five of them?" she said, lifting her chin angrily. "That just made it all the more unfair for the flowers."

Shikamaru blinked. "You were crying because they beat up the flowers?" Not because she herself had been hurt? He supposed this shouldn't surprise him. But he would have thought that even Kaida would pick her fights a little more carefully.

Then again, there was no telling what she would do if her temper flared. And picking on the weak and defenseless (even if they _were_ just flowers) was probably more than enough to get her riled up.

"Yes," Kaida answered unashamedly. "I couldn't stop them, though; otherwise I wouldn't have had to cry." She looked up at Shikamaru again. "I hate them."

Shikamaru didn't have to wonder who 'them' was. The five she had mentioned were daily causing trouble at the Academy.

"Shikamaru?" she said after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone I cried."

"I won't. Why didn't you care that I saw you cry?"

Kaida shrugged. "I knew you wouldn't make fun of me."

The two of them stood up, then Kaida went over to kneel next to the flowers.

She touched one gently, as though it were a wounded person or animal. "Do you think anyone will miss them?" she asked quietly, 'them' being the flowers this time.

"Yeah," Shikamaru responded. "I know someone will." Kaida, if no one else.

Kaida smiled, then rubbed her eyes to get rid of the last lingering tears.

"Hey, Kaida?" Shikamaru said.

She stood and looked at him expectantly. "Yeah?"

Shikamaru frowned, trying to find the right words. "Don't ever cry alone again. I hear it's bad for you if you do. I don't care who it is, just find _someone_."

Kaida grinned. "Kay. And if I decide to go to you every time, you can't say it's a drag, or call me troublesome, because you offered."

Shikamaru smirked. "Deal."

"Deal," Kaida agreed.

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><p><strong>x33 So, what'dya think? I'd love it if you'd leave a review for me! 83<strong>


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